Young man Cole no longer City’s secret
STARLET COULD BE ANOTHER PEP SUCCESS STORY
THE first thing many City fans might have heard about Cole Palmer might well have been his worst moment in a sky blue shirt.
Introduced in the 107th minute of the tense 2019 FA Youth Cup final against Liverpool, Palmer stepped up in the following penalty shootout to smack his spot-kick against the bar.
It was the only missed penalty in a high-quality shoot-out, and City were left heartbroken as they were beaten in the final for the fourth time in five years.
For a 16-year-old Palmer, a highprofile miss like that could have been career-defining, even at that stage.
Fast forward two-and-a-half years, and Palmer hasn’t looked back to dwell on that moment, already achieving enough to ensure that the miss will be a sidenote in a career that could now take him anywhere.
He’s got there through hard work, a willingness to play as much football as possible, and with some cheerleading from Raheem Sterling.
It’s been clear for some time that City have a special talent on their hands in Palmer, but he faces the same difficulties as any other youngster hoping to break through at the Etihad. There are simply too many world-class players in every position to see a viable path into the first team for every good youngster.
To be worthy of consideration under Pep Guardiola, for more than just the odd cup tie, you have to be better than just talented. You have to work hard, take your chance, and get a bit of luck at the same time.
Palmer has benefitted from all three factors, and he is now the secret prospect that City can’t keep under wraps for much longer. Especially when he makes an impact like he did with his debut Champions League goal against Club Brugge this week.
And when he’s committed enough to ask to play for the under23s on the same day as coming off the bench for the first team - as he did last weekend - that’s a story that headline writers and social media managers simply cannot resist. His fine hat-trick in the second game only adds to the irresistible nature of Palmer’s rise in recent months.
With two lovely goals for England U21s in three caps this season after stepping up age groups, two senior goals for City, a Wembley start, and four goals in four appearances
Be calm, be patient like we have done with Phil
Pep guardiola
at youth level, Palmer is making it impossible for the Blues to hide him away.
As Pep Guardiola stressed twice this week, before and after his Brugge goal, City must be careful when managing Palmer’s development, and managing outside expectations. After his EDS hattrick, Guardiola urged caution, saying: “Step by step, but he’s already two seasons training with us, and is completely involved in the dynamic of the group, the way we want to play. He extended his contract for the next years because we believe a lot in him. We know his attributes.”
Then, in Bruges, Guardiola
insisted there will be no loan move in January for Palmer to build experience like Taylor Harwood-Bellis or Tommy Doyle.
“Absolutely not,” he said when the question about a loan came up. “Today we had 17 players so we don’t have enough. I think he’s going to stay this season with us.
“Be calm, be patient like we have done with Phil. His position is the second team - but at the same time he is training with us, taking the rhythm and the principles and of course he’s a player for the future for the club.”
The problem is, Palmer is showing himself to have outgrown youth football. Even when he was determined to drop down to the under-21 game at Scunthorpe in the EFL Trophy this season, where he fired a long-range goal into the top corner early on before adding a lovely assist in the second half, he’s proving his readiness to step up amid a willingness to play as much football as possible. The goals against Wycombe and Club Brugge underline that fact.
In the last two seasons - since that 2019 FA Youth Cup final Palmer has scored 33 goals and provided 16 assists in 47 outings at academy level. In one, the 2020 Youth Cup final, he scored the winning goal to atone for that Liverpool penalty miss at the first opportunity. His starring role in the preceding semi-final came when other youngsters were part of the first-team squad, yet he was determined to show why he should be next in line for a callup.
And that time has started to come, as he’s since added seven senior appearances, scoring those two goals, and become a fixture in the first-team squad. It won’t be long until the calls come for Palmer to be given more regular starts if he continues his rapid rise.
Raheem Sterling has twice taken to social media this week to react to Palmer’s exploits, both time using the same caption: ‘Problem.’
Palmer admitted last season, after he found the top corner in a U23 derby win over United, of course, that Sterling had told him earlier that day he would score. It’s a testament to Palmer that he has earned the respect and support of the senior players in the squad, and the problem Sterling refers to isn’t a bad one.
The only problem City will have going forward with Palmer is how best to nurture his development. They will have to field questions about loans, first-team exposure, potential and comparisons to great players.